A Spa, Boob Massage & Leo the Cop

I ventured to Chianciano (pronounced kee-on-chee-ono) to visit one of the many Termes (natural thermal hot springs with healing waters). Chianciano is only about 1 hour south of Siena from A1 highway toward Rome.

The drive was beautiful...more countryside and the sun was out...it was beautiful! Upon arriving into town, I stopped at at little shop and bought some pecorino cheese, prosecca (sparkling sweet wine), and two jars of Riboletta (Tuscan soup) for my dinner that night).

As I drove into the property for Terme Sensoriali at Terme Di Chianciano, I realized this is not just one building...but it is a large area which covers a couple of blocks. It's nothing too fancy, but it includes the offices for doctors as well. The Terme's afterall are about healing, not just pampering. Many people will visit the doctor there, get a "prescription" of the water they should take and how often they should take it and then they visitor goes to the thermal pools.

Upon arriving I met the spa director Barbara Rossi, a very nice woman who explained the Terme Sensoriali (the pampering spa part of the whole operation) was new...just opened this past October. The spa offers 20 different types of treatments organized by naturopathy experts; the treatments include: energizing and relaxing aromatherapy, turkish bath, chromotherapy, musictherapy, cave of the spring, etruscan sauna, salt bath, and a handful more!

A word about the waters...(and each Terme has a different type of healing water)
The different spa waters of Terme di Chianciano affect the body according to the varying ways in which they are used for treatment: the Acqua Santa and Acqua Fucoli come directly from the springs in the long-established parks and are beneficial to the liver and gastrointestinal apparatus. Acqua Santissima is utilized for inhalations, aerosol and insufflations, for all age groups, to treat problems of the upper respiratory tract while Acqua Sillene is used for mud baths, thermal baths and cosmetics.

Actually it's a little confusing, until you just go and visit one of these amazing places. I had a great experience. I took only a bathing suite...slippers and a robe are provided for each visitor. I put the rest of my things in a locker and then started my little adventure. I followed the guide of directions for "detoxifying" and these are the steps it said to take: First I walked through a path barefoot with soft rocks and alternating hot/cold shower water to help increase my circulation. Then, I went into a sulphur pool, which was very warm and relaxing. After about 30 minutes, I went into the chromotherapy warm pool, with neon color lights, which was very relaxing, then I went into a bagno turco (steam room) . My guide then said to rest in the relaxing area which is an egg shaped area that simulates being in the womb. I walked in and thought it was nothing special, but the sound in the egg was relaxing and interesting. So I sat down and no kidding, 2 minutes later I passed out! I woke up 20 minutes later and was so surprised how the "womb" had such an effect on my. Then I went to the mud room where everyone in there looked like little green people everywhere...we all slathering healing mud all over our bodies and faces...I got a big chunk of mud in my hair that just wouldn't come out...oh well. Everybody else is there with a companion...but there I sat by my green self, waiting for the 10 minutes to be over so I can wash off.

Then I had a lovely spa treatment scheduled up stairs from the pools, but I was running a bit late because I couldn't wash all of the mud off...so I ran up stairs to meet Esperanza -- a little Spanish woman in her 50's, there to give me a sugar body scrub and massage. Another little awkward moment that I got over very quickly... she spoke no English and so she said to me in Italian "take off all over your clothes and lay on the bed."...now I wanted to confirm that's what she said because I didn't want an awkward moment of me taking all of my clothes off, and then finding out that's not what she asked me to do. So I confirmed my clothing option "Niente" (nothing), she said "Si, Niente" (yes, nothing), I said, "va bene, niente" (okay, nothing)...well, I'm glad that's clear as mud now.

So there I lay, naked and cold. Esperanza gave me a great sugar body scrub made with ingredients from the waters. I must tell you that Esperanze included my (incredibly shrinking) boobs in the scrub and massage...different experience (never had my boobs massaged), but a good experience indeed...even if it was by lil' old Esperanza and not a Francesco, Giuseppe or some other fantasy like that. Either way, the scrub was relaxing, then while I wait and lay there, Esperanza filled a big bath tub and then asked me to get up and get in...then she poured some honey-like texture into the bathtub and watched me lounge there, pretty much lost in the bubbles at this point. After 10 minutes, I got out and then she gave me a massage with a body butter. Between the healing waters, then the exfoliation and hydration...my skin felt so good after the treatment.

I didn't want to leave the Terme, but it was getting late and I wanted to get home to eat dinner. As I drove home I realized Blu was low on fuel, but it was late so there were gas stations, but no service (I have been utilizing full service in Italy because it is typical/standard), but since it was late, I would have to do it myself...simple thing getting gas, but in Italy...not so much. Anyway, I did figure it out, but just my luck, the pump wasn't working, so here I am thinking "okay, is this my problem or the pump?" This is when I noticed a police car parked a few hundred feet away. Finally after much frustration (plus I had to pee so bad!), I walked over to the policeman and explained the situation and asked for help. Very nice fella...tried to do it for me, but then realized it was the pump, not me...after a little bit of Italian cursing under his breath, he finally figured it out. I said to him in choppy Italian "Thank you, I don't know what I would have done if you weren't here" (this is my damsel in distress voice...truly though, Blu was on empty, my bladder was on full and I needed fuel desperately to get home). So he asked me my name and where I was from and then introduced himself as "Leo", but prononced L-ay-o. He was a doll. I thought about doing something illegal just for the satisfaction of further conversation and a possible frisking, but I really wanted to get home to enjoy my Riboletta.